Car-vestibule door and trap.



c. E. GRIFFITH.

CAR VESTIBULE DOOR AND TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I7. 1915.

1,152,626. Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

wad woman jar V a Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

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GEGRlFFITH wan Enema CHARLES E. GRIFFITH, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-VESTIBULE DOOR AND TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 7, 1915..

App1ication filed February 17, 1915. Serial No. 8,775

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES E. GRIFFITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-vestibule Doors and Traps, of which the following is I a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in car vestibule doors and traps and more particularly to an improvement on my former Patent Number 876,871 and issued January 14th, 1908 and the primary object of the invention is to provide an improved trap which, when folded to its inoperative position, is disposed in the rear of the vestibule door ofthe car and out of possible contact with the garments of the passengers making their exit from and entrance to the vestibule.

Still another object of the invention resides in providing a trap which is operable independently of the vestibule. door and a still further object resides in providing a trap which is diagonally divided into sections and hinged one to the other.

A further object of the invention resides in providing a device which is adapted for use in connection with either high or low platforms of stations, whereby in connection with the former, the use of the steps may be omitted.

A still further object of the invention resides in providing a device which is simple and durable in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and one which will be very eflicient and useful in operation.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafterreferred to and more particularly pointed out in the specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the end of a car equipped with a vestibule and trap constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section therethrough showing the door in a partially open position and the trap in its closed position. Fig. 3 is a transverse section as seen on line 33, of Fig. 2, with the door shown in its closed position. F ig.4 is a transverse section through the device showing the door and trap in their open and inoperative positions. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the trap operating mechanism; and Fig. 6is a horizontal section as seen on line 6-6 of Fig. 3. V

In describing my invention, I shall refer to the drawings in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in whichy 1 indicates a portion of a railway car having a door opening 2 at one end thereof, which aifords means of entrance to and exit from the vestibule portion 3 of the car. The platform 4 of the car forming the floor of the vestibule has the steps 5 secured thereto in the usual or any preferred manner and my invention primarily contemplates the provision of a trap for covering these steps and designed to form a continuation of the platform.

Hinged to the body of the car on one side of the door-way 2 and in the customary manner, is the vestibule door 6, the opposite frame of the cor-way being grooved, as shown at 7 to receive the free vertical edge of said door when the latter is disposed to its closed position.

Hinged to the body of the car, forming the side wall of the vestibule, adjacent the hinged end of the door 6,,and foldable upwardly is a trap 8, square in plan having a flange-like projection 9 formed on one edge thereof, said pro .jection beingof less length than one side of the substantially square trap proper. This trap 8 is diagonally divided into sections, indicated as 10 and 11, respectively, said sections being hinged one to the other, through the medium of the hinges 12 to permit said sections to fold inwardly and downwardly toward one another. The outer side edge of the section 11 upon which the flange-like projection is formed, has a sill 13 hinged thereto, through the medium of the hinge 13, and the one end of said sill is hinged through the medium of the hinge 13 to the car on one side of theldoorway, slightly below said door 6. The lower edge of the door 6 is, as shown and described,

spaced slightly above the upper edge of the sill 13, permitting the outer side edge ofthe platform to project therebetween and the outer side edge of the flange 9 extends to the plane of the outer face of the wall of the car when said trap is lowered to its which is substantially Secured to the inner side edge of the obliquely divided trap 8 and extending :the

full length thereof, is the angular plate or r 17 a re tiQa-QfW sl p ed.

in Contact with the upperface of the platform 4, at the outer edge of the latter,

thereby affording a support for the inner edge ofthe trap ivhen thellatter is disposed to'iits operatiye and:- closed; position. The vertical p'ortion of the angular plate or bar l4s isr-p-rovided with a longitudinal slot 15,

To the-timber the purpose ofivhich will be presently set forth. I

which is indicated as 16,

which extends longtudinally. of the ear below the'plat-form'tand-to which'the steps 5 are attached, is secured a bracket 17-, to which the an le of; an angle or hell crank lever 184s fulcrumed; The of this lever are lof nnequal length, and the longer ar which is the upper arm thereofextends V rearwardly'an'd upwardly at an inclination,

having-itsf-ree end' bifurcated as shownat 1-9 and straddling the lower end ofa depression @011 20, which rod eXtendsfthrough an evenin in'the pla-tform a The lowe'r' end r ofsaid rod isprovided?with pins 21 which enter slots in the furcations of the bifurcated' end 1-9 of th e angle lever, thereby providing a {loose conne'ction therebet'ween.

" The {upper end of the depression rod 20 is provided-With a mob or head 22 w-hich may he readilyfengagedby the foot or hand" to facilitate the depression thereof, The lower or shorter arm of the angle lever 18 is 'pi-votedto the for Wafid endfof a connecting bar the; rear end ofgsaidbar being con neete'dito a lever, sueh'a sthatdenoted in a general way by {the numeral 24, the. latter being 'gdi-sposed i directly under the rod 7 20..

; Tlie lever-Qtconsistsof an upper portion i to indicated 25, aitransversely disposed hon izontal j portion; 26 formed a distortion in the lever and a;lower-portion 27, all formed in one piece-Tillie horizontally disposed transverse portion; 26- is :locatedfunder the timber-alt and-:the l-upper' portion 25- ;is disposed approximately -to one side f"said-tin T bier-while the; lower porn-01127 is located approximately in-a plane onthe opposite side jofisaidmimberr The pivot f'o-r said lever 2l is disposed 7 nearthe upper end thereof-and cons stsof' a :pin .28 sustainedbythe timber lfinandsthe sarnepin also serves as acenter gfor xanladditional =leverfit), This additional I lever has a curved inner portion whichbears H so against: a laterally disposed lug J or projectionfiflform'ed at the upper end of said lever The outer end of the le'yer- 29 has-a projection, 31 formed- 1 thereon which is designed to slide in the slot 15 ;of the aforesaid angular plate or barl l-i From this constructi on,.-it -will be seen that uponthe depression of the rod 20, the levers will be raised position against the Wall of the vestibnle adjacent the hinged end of the door 6.

lnoperation, assuming that the trap and door are in their closed positions, should it be desiredto open the vestibule door to permit entrance to or exit frointhe vestibule, the door is opened as any ordinary. door. This is in the case ofhigh platforms, wherein the trap which forms a partial floor for the vestibule will be substantially flush with the platform for entrance to and exit from the vestibule. Under such conditions, the trap remains perfectly flat in its closed position. When reaching a low platform, however, and it: is desired to permit passengers to make thei-rentrance to and exit from the vestibule, the rod 20 is first depressed-bythe foot, which depression causes thelever-29-to be-so actuated as to slide the projection 31' in the slot l5 of-the angular plate or bar 15L Upon such action, the tendencywill-be-to force the innersection 10 of the trap S to ar-aisedposition and inso doing, the outer section 11* will be withdrawn from its position below the door 6 and folded against the under-face of said section 10. Whenthe folded sections 10 and 11 have reachedtheir full raised positions against thew all of the vestibule, the same are adapt ed to be-r'etained in such position-by a catch of any I preferred form (not shown) on the wall of thevestibule The door'Gis then adapted tobe opened, it being notedthat the latter is actuated entirely independent 'of the trap and whensmid door is opened, the same is adapted to be also engaged with a-cateh (notshown) in-the Wallof the vestibule, The door, when swung to its open position, will hide from view the folded trap 8- and prevent anycontact ofthe apparel of the passengers; upon the entrance of said passengers to and exit from the vestibule. From this description of the manner in which the trap anddoor are operated to dispose thesame-to their open positions, the manner in which the same should be actuated to -fold the same, will be readily understood;

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a simple, inexpensive and eflieient means-for earryingout-the objects ofg'the invention and while I have particularly; described theelements best adapted to perform-the functions set forth, it is obvious that various changes inform, proportionandin the minor details of construction a may be, resorted to without departing fromthe spirit or sacrificing any of the principles ofthe invention.

j Having thus described" this invention,

wh-at-I claim is a 1; In a railway car, the combination with a vestibule door; of a trap for the steps of the car formed of sections hinged one to the other along a line extending obliquely thereto, one section of said trap being hinged to the car adjacent the inner end of the door and the other section being adapted to project under said door and to the plane of the outer wall of the car when said trap and door are disposed to their closed positions.

2. In a railway car, the combination with a vestibule door; of a trap for the steps of the car formed of sections hinged one to the other along a line extending obliquely thereto, one section of said trap being hinged to the car adjacent the inner end of the door; the outer end of the other section of the trap being adapted to project under the lower edge of said door when the trap and door are disposed to their closed positions, and a sill hinged at its one end to the car below the inner end of the door and hinged adjacent its outer end to the under face of the last mentioned section of the trap adjacent the outer side edge thereof.

3. In a railway car, the combination with a vestibule door; of a trap for the steps of the car formed of a pair of sections hinged one to the other along a line extending obliquely thereto, one section of said trap being hinged to the car adjacent the inner end of the door, the outer side edge of the other section of the trap being adapted to project under the lower edge of said door when the trap and door are disposed to their closed positions, and a sill hinged on a vertical axis to the car below the inner end of the door and also hinged adjacent its outer end on a horizontal axis to the under face of the last mentioned section of the trap at a point adjacent the outer side edge of the latter.

4:. In a railway car, the combination with a vestibule door; of a trap for the steps of the car formed of sections hinged one to the other along a line extending obliquely thereto, one section of said trap being hinged to the car adjacent the inner end of the door, the outer side edge of the other section of the trap being adapted to be disposed below the lower edge of said door when the latter and said trap are disposed to their closed positions, a flange formed on the outer side edge of the last mentioned section of the trap to project to the plane of the outer wall of the car when'said trap is disposed to its closed position, and a sill hinged at its one end to the car below the inner end of the door and also hinged adjacent its opposite end to the under face of the last mentioned section of the trap at a point adjacent the outer side edge of the latter.

5. In a railway car, the combination with a vestibule and door thereof, of a trap for the steps of the car, said trap including two hingedly united sections, one of said sections being hinged to the wall of the car, a supporting sill for the outer end of the trap, said sill being hinged at one terminal to the wall of the car and being also hinged at its upper edge to the other section of the trap, and means connected to the first mentioned section for swinging the trap into open position, said second mentioned section being adapted to fall by gravity into folded position against the first mentioned section and the sill being adapted to swing into folded position against the wall of the car, when the trap is moved to open position. In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES E. GRIFFITH.

Witnesses:

RICHARD TAYLOR, WILLIAM E. STOREY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

